Ruth 1:16

1:16 But Ruth replied,

“Stop urging me to abandon you! ¹ 

For wherever you go, I will go.

Wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will become my people,

and your God will become my God.

Ruth 1:19

1:19 So the two of them ²  journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. ³ 

Naomi and Ruth Arrive in Bethlehem

When they entered ⁴  Bethlehem, ⁵  the whole village was excited about their arrival. ⁶  The women of the village said, ⁷  “Can this be Naomi?” ⁸ 

Ruth 1:22

1:22 So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came back with her from the region of Moab. ⁹  (Now they ¹⁰  arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.) ¹¹ 

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¹ tn Heb “do not urge me to abandon you to turn back from after you.” Most English versions, following the lead of the KJV, use “leave” here. The use of עזב (“abandon”) reflects Ruth’s perspective. To return to Moab would be to abandon Naomi and to leave her even more vulnerable than she already is.

² tn The suffix “them” appears to be masculine, but it is probably an archaic dual form (E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).

³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

⁴ tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was”) here introduces a new scene.

⁵ map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

⁶ tn Heb “because of them” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “excited to see them.”

⁷ tn Heb “they said,” but the verb form is third person feminine plural, indicating that the women of the village are the subject.

⁸ tn Heb “Is this Naomi?” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The question here expresses surprise and delight because of the way Naomi reacts to it (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 92).

⁹ tn Heb “and Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, the one who returned from the region of Moab.”

sn This summarizing statement provides closure to the first part of the story. By highlighting Ruth’s willingness to return with Naomi, it also contrasts sharply with Naomi’s remark about being empty-handed.

¹⁰ tn The pronoun appears to be third person masculine plural in form, but it is probably an archaic third person dual form (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 94).

¹¹ tn This statement, introduced with a disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) provides closure for the previous scene, while at the same time making a transition to the next scene, which takes place in the barley field. The reference to the harvest also reminds the reader that God has been merciful to his people by replacing the famine with fertility. In the flow of the narrative the question is now, “Will he do the same for Naomi and Ruth?”

sn The barley harvest began in late March. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 91.